If I Were A Boy
by sulpicia29
Summary: Lilly wants something that she can't have and so she takes a chance on changing everything in the space of one wish. Liley.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello readers. So this is my new story, 'If I Were A Boy' and it's going to take an interesting direction, I think. I was inspired by 'It's A Boy Girl Thing' and Beyonce's single, which it shares the title with, but it doesn't really follow the same plot as the movie and it's got a fantasy element in it. Also it doesn't follow the lyrics of the song exactly... I just like the song. It's a Liley story so if you don't like then it's probably best if you don't read it. I don't own anything to do with Disney or Hannah Montana (or Beyonce lol) ...although it would be pretty cool if some of us Liley authors did... Anyway, enjoy! **

'**If I Were A Boy' – Chapter 1**

Lilly Truscott was almost running late, yet she constantly maintained that she was one step ahead of schedule as long as her ride to school was two steps behind. With the background noise of her radio blaring out tunes from the local station she had haphazardly managed to shower and then blow-dry her long, blonde locks in record timing. Lilly was currently scampering naked around her bedroom as she gathered clothes off the floor, due to the lack of clean laundry, and attempting to throw an outfit together on time.

"Lilly, you're going to be late." Heather Truscott, Lilly's disparaging mother called up the stairs. It was true that she also hated mornings but that had never prevented her from ensuring her hopeless teenage daughter was ready on time.

"N-No I'm not mum!" Lilly shouted back as she stumbled in her attempt to pull on a pair of socks.

"Don't forget to grab something for breakfast. I've left money for lunch on the counter and there's toast on the go, it'll be ready in t-minus two minutes."

"Alright mum. Have a good day at work." Lilly said through her partially opened door as she fumbled with her bra.

"Thanks honey you too." Her mother answered before shutting the front door behind her.

Lilly grumbled as her hands grappled with the bra clasp behind her back, "Stupid thing… never get it to work…" Yet just as she was contemplating the drastic possibility of going commando on her top half, the underwear fastened miraculously and she could look forward to finding the rest of her clothes.

Lilly was hauling on her shorts and a handily placed t-shirt, which had been haphazardly flung over the back of her desk paused in front of the mirror after pulling the top over her head, with hairbrush in hand, as she heard the next song quietly phase in.

_If I were a boy even just for a day_

_I'd roll out of bed in the morning_

_And throw on what I wanted_

_And go drink beer with the guys…_

Lilly scoffed at the lyrics, "If only things were as simple for us girls." She sighed as she turned over the hat in her hands, "To wear or not to wear? That is the question." The blonde mumbled as she squinted at her reflection. Lilly frowned slightly as she placed the object of clothing jauntily atop her flyaway hair and struck a pose. Lilly shrugged at her mirror image and adjusted the hat properly before taking a step back to look over her chosen outfit. She was happy in her striped shirt and her pants were a little less baggy than normal, allowing some acute emphasis on her feminine curves. Her beanie was at least colour coordinated with her outfit and Lilly felt resolved in the fact that the complementary tones would at least satisfy her best friend to some extent, since she was not particularly a hat fanatic.

Upon hearing the sound of the toaster popping up two pieces of cooked bread, Lilly's eyes widened in alarm and she heaved her bag over her shoulders as she darted for the stairs. The blonde was energetic, even for such an early hour, and she managed to clear the obstacle in a well-practiced slide down the banister. Lilly grabbed her breakfast and progressed to shovel bite after bite into her mouth before turning into the final spurt and bolting out of the door. However, she stopped dead when her sky-blue eyes found a brunette in a red convertible pulling up at the end of her driveway. Lilly hastened to gulp down the offending matter that had filled her cheek space and had to wipe her mouth free of crumbs before she could approach the girl in the car.

Miley Stuart was wearing large sunglasses and the slight breeze from the early Malibu summer was pushing back her luscious brown locks, making it seem to Lilly as if she were in one of Hannah Montana's music videos. Her mouth curved into a perfectly Hollywood smile, yet Miley withheld from injecting fake sentimentality and when her best friend smiled at Lilly, the blonde skater knew that it was only with one hundred percent's worth of sincerity.

"Come on Lilly, we'll be late." The other girl called out brightly in the twang of a southern accent that made Lilly's heart skip a beat.

"I'm coming Miles." Lilly hollered back and she merely blinked over her inner recognition of the pun which she would have tried on the other girl if she were brave enough to flirt but, as much as Truscott regretted it, she never was.

The blonde closed the front door carefully behind her and checked that it was locked before she descended down her driveway, with feet falling lightly on the paving below as her heart soared at the prospect of spending the day with Miley.

"Mornin'." Miley greeted her friend properly and smiled another toothy grin which had never yet failed to strike Lilly sharply, creating momentary tension in her chest and temporarily removing the primal instinct to breathe.

"Good morning." Lilly managed to reply chirpily before reaching over to turn up the radio.

"Ah, cool song." Miley nodded her approval as she pulled out into the street.

Lilly grinned contentedly beside her, revelling in the feeling of the warm breeze as it brushed her cheeks and the sensation of being pushed gently back into her seat as Miley accelerated.

_..If I were a boy _

_I think I could understand_

_How it feels to love a girl_

_I swear I'd be a better man…_

Lilly's heart fluttered in her chest when she heard Miley's deep voice join in with the artist. Her best friend took great delight in throwing the song out into the wind and the blonde could not help but throw surreptitious glances in her direction, attempting to imprint the image of Miley, head thrown back and body arched in her car seat, into her mind forever.

Miley giggled, "Beyonce is so cool. I've met her, ya know?" She looked over at Lilly briefly to decipher whether her friend was paying any attention, "I mean, she's like really, really cool. I wish I had her moves. You've seen the video for _Single Ladies_ right? Sweet nibblets that woman can grind."

Lilly gulped and she was certain that her palms were sweating. She fought the sudden urge to wipe her moist hands on Miley's smooth, bare thigh; to perform such an action would probably breach the line of friendship territory into pure insanity. Lilly decided that silence was the better answer and carefully wiped her palms on her own pants as she smiled weakly in approval of her best friend's statement.

"Do you think it would be appropriate?" Miley was still demanding Lilly's attention.

"Huh?" Lilly responded, with eyes wider from shock at Miley's question.

"Well, if Hannah Montana started dancing like that, do ya think it would be a good thing?"

"Maybe for all the guys watching out there Miles, but in terms of little kids' worship and stuff… Nah. They'd think you'd gone pretty loco." Lilly stated and circulated a finger next to her head to prove her point.

Miley barked out a short laugh, "Yeah, you're probably right Lils. Oh well, I wouldn't even be able to dance like that anyway. Best stick to what you're good at I say."

"Uh-huh." Lilly replied in a squeaky tone and she swallowed once again before gratefully realising that the song was coming to an end.

…_You don't listen to her_

_You don't care how it hurts_

_Until you lose the one you wanted_

'_Cause you're taking her for granted_

_And everything you had got destroyed_

_But you're just a boy._

"Good song." Miley announced simply with a winning smile.

Lilly just rolled her eyes and she propped her elbow on the car door to watch the streets roll by. She was sinking into one of her spells of self-loathing and being beside the peppy brunette, who was currently whistling along to one of her alter-egos own songs, was strangely not helping her. Lilly found that when she normally spent time with Miley, she was filled with an optimism that managed to chase her blues away, yet after hearing this particular song, everything seemed even more hopeless.

Miley had eventually pulled into one of her usual spaces in the school's car-park, causing Lilly to jerk quickly into action as she suddenly realised where they were. "Oh golly look, we're here already." Lilly said, stating the obvious and receiving a pause from Miley as she killed the engine.

Miley frowned slightly to herself, but Lilly did not fail to notice the creasing brow or the pout of concern that etched slowly across Miley's features as she turned her attention to her blonde friend. Miley removed her dark glasses to reveal a pair of brilliant, oceanic blue eyes that caught up Lilly's own focus in a split-second. Lilly found herself inhaling sharply as she found herself drowning in the apparently endless gaze that Miley never failed to captivate her in, although the blonde had never admitted it to anyone.

"Are you okay Lilly?" Miley asked softly and the worry-filled question tugged at Lilly's insides to make her want to scream from longing.

"Y-yeah sure, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Lilly stuttered as she tried to avoid staring at the divine-looking girl in the seat beside her.

Miley merely quirked an eyebrow up toward her hairline in response as she came back to Lilly's reply, "Well for one you're stuttering a hell of a lot more than usual and generally not making much sense today. And for two you've been as quiet as Uncle Earl after Thanksgiving when he's eaten the entire turkey, several dishes of yams and washed it all down with a barrel of beer. Now come on Lillypad, you can tell ol' Miley what the heck is bothering you; I'm only here to listen." Miley shrugged gently, but her eyes were sparkling warmly and Lilly was once again reminded that Miley was the best friend she had ever had. Yet it was this knowledge that made her consistent avoidance of the truth all the more painful.

"Seriously Miley, I'm just fine." Lilly answered and forced a cheery grin, "If I wasn't then I would definitely tell you what's wrong." She rolled her eyes to enforce the triviality of Miley's anxiety and, when the brunette's stature remained unmoved by Lilly's persuasion, she breached the distance between them to gently squeeze Miley's shoulder. "I'm fine. It's all good. Now come on before we're written up as tardy." Lilly said as she swung open the passenger door and sprightly hopped out of the vehicle.

Miley was soon following her best friend's lead as the two made it up to the entrance along with their fellow students, "Lilly?" Miley suddenly called out.

Lilly stopped and swung around to face her best friend quickly, inwardly cringing at the instinctive reaction to respond to her friend's call so rapidly, "Yeah?"

Miley caught up with Lilly and was soon standing at her side. She raised a hand to curl her fingers gently around the blonde's wrist before leaning in conspiratorially and whispered into her ear, "I know there's something bothering you and I'm not going to forget that, but you obviously don't want to talk about it yet, and that's fine. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm here for you when you need me." Miley tightened her grip just for a moment before letting go gently and then she overtook her best friend in the hastened march to reach their lockers before first period started.

Lilly's mouth gaped open slightly since her whole body had frozen from the awareness of Miley's prior close proximity. Her senses had been fast to react to and absorb the scent of the brunette's hair, the texture and warmth of the grip held in her strong fingers on Lilly's wrist, the cerulean depths of Miley's large, round eyes and the quiet hoarseness of her accented voice. All that Lilly was missing, and craving, was the taste of the other girl, but Lilly was certain she would never find that out. She shook her blonde head and continued the journey down the school hallway, fully decided on her need to take a chance on realism and throw aside her fanciful imaginings.

x-x-x-x-x

Lilly Truscott would never confess it, but she always found lunchtime an anxiety plagued period at school. Anyone who knew her would never understand this coveted insecurity, since the girl could consume vast quantities of processed cafeteria meat with the best of them, yet any length of time spent in the company of Miley Stuart was a mine field of hidden qualms. Some days Lilly felt pressured, as if a hundred pairs of eyes were analysing her every move and, although she really knew that it was only her imagination driving her wild, this melodramatic trepidation secretly had the girl on tenterhooks.

She was sitting with her two best friends; her beloved Miley Stuart, who was the oblivious receiver of Lilly's secret stares of devotion, and a boy called Oliver Oken who had unwarily splashed bolognaise sauce down the front of his shirt. Miley was prodding her salad lazily with her fork whilst her mind belonged elsewhere as she dreamily rested her chin on her hand and gazed into space. Lilly had been watching this lackadaisical expression for several long moments now and, as a result of this, most of her own meal was left untouched. She did not quite know how to describe it, but there was something quite enchanting in Miley's thought-filled, sapphire eyes and Lilly was becoming more lost in every slow blink that Miley made. Lilly's attention was drawn slowly down from the steady sweep of the brunette's long eyelashes to her mouth where Miley had bitten down gently on her lower lip, only to release it again, to sigh and nuzzle her chin deeper into the palm of her hand. Lilly also exhaled gently as she watched the depression of Miley's chest and she then breathed in as she watched Miley's chest rise, mirroring her respiration and feeling her own heart beat faster whilst her blood warmed her veins with hidden love and desires.

Oliver shortly managed to distract her from her quiet observations with the flapping of arms and the brush of his hand on her arm as he leaned over to steal a napkin, "Oh man, I can't believe I got sauce all down my shirt." He grumbled and began to swipe at the brown stain that had already sunk into the material, "This will probably never come out." He huffed.

Miley was also brought back to reality and she merely raised an eyebrow as she regarded the boy in front of her. She looked over to Lilly and smiled with her, each girl despairing in the boy as he rubbed more frantically at his shirt.

"I'll go get you some more napkins." Miley drawled quietly and rose from her seat with great lethargy, stretching her arms up above her head as her body gratefully uncoiled from its previous slump. Lilly's gaze was not slow to flicker over to Miley as she extended her arms above her head and Lilly secretly celebrated the further inches of thigh that Miley unknowingly displayed in the rise of her skirt. Miley's arms soon returned to her sides as she wearily wandered over to the cutlery trolley, peacefully unaware of a pair of sky-blue eyes haunting her every step and the blonde girl behind secretly despairing from every tilt of her hips.

Oliver was still grouchy and muttering something which soon brought Lilly's attention back to him, "Hmm? What did you say Oliver?"

A pair of frustrated brown eyes flew up to meet Lilly's as Oliver repeated his previous statement, "I said, if you could have taken your goo goo eyes away from Miley for one moment then you might have seen that I had spilt sauce all down my top and taken the time to warn me before it spread everywhere."

Lilly's eyes widened at the accusation and she quickly leaned closer to the boy and hissed, "What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. I've never seen you so choked up on anyone since you got that crush on Zack Morris from _Saved by the Bell _back in the fourth grade." Oliver replied in hushed tones.

"You're crazy." Lilly stated simply and crossed her arms.

"Nu-uh."

"Yu-huh. Now quit your whining, Miley's coming back and she's got you some fresh napkins." Lilly finished before leaning back in her own seat and returning her concentration to her deserted meal.

Oliver frowned at the blonde before gratefully accepting Miley's proffered handout and smiling at the brunette, "Thanks Miles. I'm glad one of you cares about me."

Miley giggled, "You're welcome Ollie." Her eyes flickered over to Lilly who was hastily shoving fork loads of spaghetti into her mouth, "Oh Lilly, why can't you eat like a girl?" Miley asked, and she adopted a mock expression of disgust while she delicately crunched on a piece of carrot.

"S-sorry." Lilly muttered through her mouthful and she swallowed hastily.

Miley smiled as she offered her best friend a napkin and laughed softly whilst the blonde cleared away the orange stain that had gathered around her lips. "That's better." She chided Lilly gently. "Now, what were y'all talking about when I was away? It looked like some pretty intense stuff."

Lilly looked up in alarm and glanced quickly over to Oliver who was regarding her coolly with arms crossed over his chest, "N-nothing." Lilly stuttered and managed a weak smile, "Nothing at all. Just the usual, erm, sport stuff."

Miley did not look persuaded and scrutinised Lilly's expression carefully with piercing eyes which made Lilly certain that the brunette was boring into her mind. Eventually Miley gave up on this game, however, and merely shrugged her shoulders in response, "Whatever. So, you guys up for going to the mall after school today? I need to drop of a DVD I took out last week and find something for dad's birthday."

"Yeah sure I'd be up for that." Oliver replied simply, "I need to pick up my mum's dry-cleaning because the washing machine broke and she didn't want her police uniform shrinking like everything else is."

"Cool. Lilly are ya in?" Miley asked.

Lilly quickly dabbed at the rest of her mouth as she quietly contemplated her reply. Finally she threw down the napkin and cleared her throat before replying nervously, "Nah, sorry Miles, I can't today. Mum wants me to hang out with her and stuff. I think she wants us to do some mother-daughter bonding."

"Okay then, that's fair enough." Miley said breezily and brushed her hands together as she prepared to leave for her next class. "We don't have anything else today do we?" She asked as she began to rise. Lilly shook her head sadly and tried to avoid meeting Miley's eyes, fearing that her best friend would spot the lie within them if she should look into them, "Alright then. Well maybe see you at the end of school, and if not then definitely tomorrow.

"Yeah, see you later Miles." Lilly replied gloomily to the other girl's retreating back.

Oliver cleared his throat and when the blonde returned her attention to him he addressed her with raised eyebrows, "You so do not have plans with your mum after school today."

"Uh yes I do." Lilly argued back.

"Whatever. You just don't want to spend time with Miley." Oliver stated and began to pile up their plates.

Lilly sighed in response, there was no point fighting the truth that Oliver had discovered through trial and error. "You're right." She replied quietly and Oliver paused in his bad mood to look upon her with eyes that were refreshed with concern. He smiled at her gently and this was a motion clear enough for her to continue, "I just can't be around her too much, because I care about her too much, you know?"

Oliver nodded, "I know. I've known for a while now, but it's okay, I understand." Lilly's looked frightened at her friend's admission but Oliver was relaxed in his dealing with Lilly, "No one else knows, it's not a very noticeable thing. It's just because I spend so much time with you. We're best friends Lilly, and I know you think I'm a stupid guy sometimes but I do notice some things that go on between you girls."

"Do you think Miley knows?" Lilly asked with a pained expression scrunching up her features.

"No." Oliver sighed, "I don't think she does, and I don't know whether you should tell her or not. I doubt the thought that you could feel like that toward her has even crossed her mind. I mean, you guys are as close as could be but she's most likely oblivious."

"I hope so." Lilly replied sadly.

Oliver smiled kindly on his friend who was sitting flopped over the table with mild depression taking pride of place across her usually cheerful expression. "Come on you, let's get to class." Oliver said and clapped Lilly on the back in an attempt to stamp some life back into her again.

Lilly stood up slowly and stretched after their long break to make her way inside, following the trail of the corridor to her next, and Miley-free, class. It was a long day, but the days always became longer without Miley's presence to inject light and vivacious life in Lilly's existence. Lilly sighed as she trudged her feet slowly along the corridor, heedless of the late students that jolted her as they hurried to their classes and only stirring into being once when she heard Miley's joyous laugh call out to her from a room that she passed. It almost made Lilly want to dive through the door to land sprawled at her best friend's feet in an act of desperate love however, she was not yet down to her last nerve.

It was, quite truthfully, terribly difficult being secretly in love with Miley Stuart, but Lilly bore her burden alongside her positive disposition so that everyone who was watching could see that she was just fine. Although Lilly did secretly wish that someone would throw her a lifeline somewhere along the road, she would keep on living as she always did; circulating around the life of someone who she was certain could never love her back.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello everyone, thanks for the great reception I received after the first chapter was posted up here. Very much appreciated, anyway, here's the second installment and I hope you all like it. **

'**If I Were A Boy' – Chapter 2**

The forlorn cries of the gulls above, combined with the crashing of the waves against the rocks, seemed to be Lilly's only comfort as she sat alone and gazed out over the ocean. Her legs were hunched up in front of her, with her arms secured around them tightly, whilst she mournfully contemplated the unfortunate situation that her heart had gotten her into. The day was still warm although Lilly knew that the sun would be setting soon and she should soon think about returning, but the blonde could not resist the urge to stare a little longer at the rise and fall of the cerulean waves. The colour of the waters had grown evermore to remind Lilly of her best friend's eyes, which she could look into forever if she only had the chance. She was unable to stare with such intensity into Miley Stuart's eyes however, as she would be accused of stalking the brunette by her peers and she was certain that doing so would frighten Miley herself. The ocean, therefore, was the perfect place to sit and think about the beautiful depths of the brunette's eyes without causing any distress to the other girl or herself.

Lilly preferred this spot of the beach to any other because she was sure that no one else from school really knew about it. It was a place that she and her father used to frequent during her childhood, before her parents' divorce, when they would spend the weekend afternoons crab-fishing in the little rock-pools. She had to travel about a mile away from where all the kids usually gathered on the beach, far from the merchandise stands and general superficiality of the fashionable stretch of beach, but it was worth the journey for the silence to give her mind space to think. She was sat at the end of a strip of rocks that jutted out from the coast, which were awkward to scramble across as they poked out unevenly yet to Lilly they were familiar, and she had been coming to this spot for as long as she could remember. It was a place of small natural wonder with the puddles of salty water that gathered in the crags, teeming with the lives of tiny sea creatures. The rocks used to be a popular fishing area, although they had been deserted during recent years, but a few reminders still existed in the abandoned nets which clung to the rocks.

The girl sighed and she shifted her position, aware that it was probably time for her to make a move. She was secretly frustrated with herself since she had told two lies in the space of the afternoon to avoid having to spend time with anyone. She had earlier told Miley that she would be bonding with her mother for a few hours, but Heather Truscott had been submerged into the same circle of untruth as Lilly's best friend. Lilly had simply informed her mother, on returning home after school, that she would be spending the afternoon with Miley and Heather had willingly complied.

Lilly stood up and brushed herself off before picking her way carefully over the rocks on her return to shore. Yet, as the girl made steady progress back to the beach, she paused as a furious splashing from the waves below attracted her attention and Lilly cautiously looked down. At first the blonde could not see anything because water was flying up in a rage of white froth. The only image that she could make out was the sight of one of the old nets, hooked onto a rock, inhibiting some sea animal from breaking loose. The blonde made a quick decision to help the poor beast and gradually clambered down with no need to fear, since Lilly was skilled in traversing the rocks, and soon she was closer to the source of the commotion.

Suddenly Lilly stopped and her lips parted from confusion as her eyes revealed an unusual scene. On first glance, Lilly had thought that it was a dolphin caught up in the net, but now the torso of a woman had become clear along with golden hair and a red mouth burning out from a pale complexion. Lilly was drenched by cold spray as the dolphin-like tail struck out at the surf once more and splattered water everywhere. Yet slowly everything became clear and Lilly realised that the woman and what she thought was a green dolphin were one being; a mermaid.

Lilly gasped, almost losing her balance for a moment, but the surprise movement caught the attention of the woman and she glanced up quickly. Their eyes connected and Lilly found her body freeze in trepidation as the woman glared at her ferociously with ice-blue eyes. Neither female spoke for several long seconds until Lilly's body trembled and her sense of righteousness pulsed back into her with the quickening of her heart.

"Are y-you okay?" Lilly stuttered fearfully whilst she quailed beneath the other's piercing gaze.

The mermaid's eyes bored ever more strongly into Lilly's body, and the girl felt as if she were naked before the woman. Finally the mermaid smiled and replied, "No, I am clearly not okay." Her tone was light and breezy, yet her voice was deep and she blinked slowly whilst she regarded the stricken girl before her, "Can you help me?" She asked gently.

Lilly swallowed nervously and nodded her head, "Sure, I'll get you out of this in just a minute." She then frowned as she contemplated her next action, "Alright then, just stay still and I'll unhook you." Lilly gingerly edged her way to where the netting was knotted tightly into the rocks, just out of the mermaid's reach, and soon put her small fingers to work in pulling at the strong cords until it all fell back into the water. Lilly glanced back over at the mermaid who was now propping herself up onto some rocks and attempting to tug the remaining netting off her, "Here, let me help you with that." Lilly called softly and set to work unravelling the mermaid from the mesh of salty ropes.

The blonde marvelled at the sight before her and at the feeling of the mermaid's slippery, green scales as she eased the netting off her lower half. During the quick glances that Lilly dared toward the mermaid's torso she discovered that the woman was thin but muscular in her stomach and arms. Her hair was very long and ran slickly down her back and wildly over her face, tumbling over shoulders and falling down to her breasts, which were wrapped up in what looked to Lilly like seaweed.

Finally Lilly's hard work was over and the mermaid was released from her coils. The mermaid smiled gratefully at Lilly and lowered herself into the water once more, "Thank you." She said simply, but the deepness in her voice sent vibrations through Lilly's chest.

"You're welcome." Lilly replied with a smile as she stood awkwardly, clinging to the rock-face, and wondering what was to come next.

The mermaid merely gazed mysteriously at the girl before her, holding Lilly uneasily in her vision before speaking again, "What is your name, girl?"

"My name is Lilly." Lilly answered whilst she tightened her grip on the rocks and shuffled her feet into a slightly more comfortable position on the precipice she was stood upon.

"Lilly." The mermaid repeated and seemed to be tasting the word in her mouth as her eyes flickered over Lilly, "You have a good heart Lilly."

"Th-thanks." Lilly muttered and anxiously pushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes.

"You do. My name is Thetis and I am very grateful to you Lilly. I expect that I can trust you not to tell anyone about what has happened here today?"

Lilly nodded, "Yes, you can. I won't tell a soul, I promise."

The mermaid smiled again and, on the sight of this, Lilly's felt her body relax ever so slightly from relief. "I already know that you will not tell anyone. And that is why I will reward you for your kindness."

Lilly shook her head, "Oh no, you don't need to do that. I'm just glad that I could be of help."

The mermaid was still smiling and her eyes seemed to be filled with warmth now which bathed Lilly in comfort and slowly instilled tranquillity into the girl, "I can see that you have much anxiety and care on your shoulders Lilly. I would like to help you with that and so I will grant you one wish which will last for seven days."

Lilly's lips parted in surprise, "A wish? No, really, I'm just fine and truly happy that I could have helped you but I don't need anything like that."

"Lilly, I have seen much in my lifetime and I can recognise the anguish of a breaking heart in another woman. So please, grant me this favour and let me return the benevolence that you showed to me in allowing you this one wish."

Lilly scrunched up her face as she contemplated the mermaid's proposal, "But there's nothing in particular that I would wish for."

The mermaid considered Lilly closely, "What does _she_ wish for Lilly?"

The blonde girl felt as if a bolt of cold dread had struck her heart and she squeezed her eyes shut since an image of Miley rose up into the forefront of her mind, smiling slowly and enticingly to Lilly, causing her insides to writhe and scream with want. She gulped nervously as she grasped that Thetis knew exactly what was going on inside of her heart and found her voice was shaking when she spoke again, "W-well…she obviously wishes for a lot of things, everyone does."

The mermaid blinked as she regarded Lilly, "I see."

"I-I guess that she wants a boyfriend." Lilly scowled suddenly, "But I'm not going to wish for that…" Lilly quietly trailed off as the image of her and Miley driving along to school that morning replayed in her mind. The song, that had been ground irritatingly into Lilly's head since she had heard it on the radio seemed to make sense now and Lilly's lips crept into a small, bewildered smile and she looked up to meet the mermaid's knowing eyes. "If I were a boy…" Lilly whispered quietly.

"Is that your wish?" Thetis asked.

Lilly frowned as she thought over the option that the mermaid had just spread out in front of her. To become a boy for a week and to be able to admire her Miley in the guise of a male body would open up a whole new network of possibility. She would finally have a chance at winning her over and even to kiss her, if the possibility arose, would be more than Lilly could ever have dreamed of. The blonde was never one to dwell too long over making a decision, believing that it was better to live spontaneously and to dive straight in, rather than test the waters, yet this decision was unfathomable in knowing the outcome.

Finally Lilly nodded and she cleared her dry throat, "Yes. I wish I was a boy, for a week." Lilly replied clearly, although she fretted over every word she spoke.

"Then it shall be done." Thetis responded.

"But…" Lilly began to interrupt as questions stirred up within her mind and Thetis held up a hand.

"Do not worry Lilly, it will all fall into place around you." Thetis answered Lilly's unasked question. Lilly gulped and nodded her head shakily in response and, upon finding the blonde speechless once again, Thetis bid her farewell, "Goodbye Lilly. I hope that all bodes well for you and thank you once more for your kindness."

The mermaid smiled at Lilly for the final time before she raised a hand in a parting gesture and sank beneath the waves to be lost from Lilly's sight forever. Lilly sighed and turned her attention back to the climb before her, trying to distract her mind from what she was now beginning to consider an insane contract. She carefully began to scramble up the rockface and, after a few scrapes and scratches; she had made it to the top.

"Ouch." Lilly grumbled and sucked on the palm of her hand, which tasted salty from the damp coating of sea water on the rocks and at the same time of iron, from the small drips of blood that had gathered from broken skin. The blonde was suddenly feeling very weary and she knew that it would be a while before she was home again, yet she did not let this dispel her previously better mood and began the slow trudge home.

x-x-x-x-x

"Lilly, dinner's ready!" Heather Truscott shouted up the stairs in the direction of her teenage daughter's bedroom.

Lilly heard the sound of her mother's voice from her room, although it sounded muffled as if something was in the way of it reaching her with the regular, shrill clarity that her mother normally called her with. She rose from her desk chair slowly, where she had been attempting her homework, and wandered slowly toward the door. Her body was feeling much heavier than it previously had been and the air around her felt thicker than usual, gradually constricting her movements. Lilly shook her head and raised a hand to her throbbing temples. A slow pain was thrumming and the reassuring press of her warm fingertips, which she circulated gently into the affected area, did nothing much to help her.

Eventually Lilly made it to the table to join her mother for dinner, yet her normally criminal appetite had fled her and she was resolved to poking her food around her plate whilst she rested her head in her hand. Heather was watching her daughter closely and growing evermore concerned.

"Lilly, darling, are you alright?" She finally asked her daughter in a low voice.

Lilly looked up to face her worried mother and smiled shyly, "Yeah I'm okay, just not feeling very hungry tonight."

"Is everything okay?" Heather asked her daughter softly, "Is everything alright with school?"

"Yeah, school's fine mum."

Heather nodded her head whilst she sought for further reasons why her daughter was not shovelling food into her mouth, "Did something happen with Miley?"

Lilly froze in her actions and her eyes flickered away as she tried to avoid her mother's gaze which would always decipher the truth if she could look Lilly in the eye, "No, everything's fine with Miley." Lilly stated calmly and quickly pressed a small fork-load of potatoes past her lips where she chewed the matter slowly. Lilly swallowed and glanced back up at her mother, "I'm just not feeling very well I guess. Maybe too much sun, I dunno."

Heather smiled comfortingly at her daughter, "Okay then. Would you like to be excused?"

Lilly nodded, "Yes please."

The blonde let herself down from the table and cleared her plate away, before she was allowed to go upstairs, however, her mother quickly laid a hand on her arm and Lilly turned around to face her. Heather drew her daughter into her arms and hugged her, instantly drawing a smile back to Lilly's paler features and flooding warmth through her body from her mother's actions. "You take care of yourself Lilly-pad." Her mother murmured whilst she rubbed her hands reassuringly up and down Lilly's back and then kissed her on the cheek.

Lilly smiled into her mother's worried face, "I will mum. I'm going to go to bed now. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow honey, sleep tight."

Lilly nodded and quietly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. It was only seven o'clock but her mind was buzzing and her vision seemed to be becoming more blurred. She noticed that the outlines of objects in her room were becoming softer, and she felt that she could brush her hand right through them if she should touch them. Lilly blinked and rubbed at her eyes, yet this action did nothing to help as everything was deteriorating more rapidly. The floor looked as if it were sloping and it took a lot from Lilly not to lose her balance whilst she stumbled over to her bed. The blonde slumped down onto the mattress and stared up at her ceiling which was spinning above her as her body sunk deeper into the surface she was lying upon. Lilly almost felt as if she were drowning since the air grew thicker and heavier as it settled in her lungs. She was gradually drenched in a cold sweat as her reality warped around her and she phased slowly into unconsciousness. Lilly was riding the tides of change and, as they suddenly turned, Lilly was covered in darkness and she knew nothing more for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Next chapter is up people!! Thanks for all the positive feedback so far... Really appreciated and I hope this story doesn't deteriorate into madness and still keeps you all content.**

'**If I Were A Boy' – Chapter 3**

The world was dark and Lilly's mind was hazy as she gradually came back to life. She had not yet opened her eyes and, if she were honest, she did not entirely know where she was. Finally her eyes fluttered open blearily and her brow creased as she lay still surfing those few precious moments of waking when everything is a total mystery. Lilly blinked and in that split-second memory flooded back so strongly that she had to take a deep breath.

Lilly Truscott blinked again, and something was definitely different. Her body began to writhe beneath the bed covers whilst she stretched out her weary limbs, but everything had dramatically altered. She sat up slowly in bed and raised her hands to her face, to rub her fingertips into her eyes so that she may clear them of sleep. Lilly then lifted her hands to her hair, to run them through the tangles which would have inevitably formed overnight.

Lilly gasped. "Holy…" She murmured and pushed her fingers through her hair again, only to find that it was almost all gone. Her hands were shaking whilst she carefully patted at her scalp and she whimpered when she discovered that, after a few inches, her hair had been severely cropped. "How?" Lilly whispered, and thoughts of her mother sneaking in whilst clutching a pair of scissors sinisterly were darting insanely through her mind. Lilly shook her head to rid the plague of crazy notions, her mother would never dream of cutting her daughter's hair so drastically.

Her hair was not the only issue, for as she had pulled herself into a sitting position something beneath her covers rubbed against her inner thigh. Lilly gulped since memories of the wish that she had made only the day before were trickling back with frightening clarity. She gradually eased up the bed covers and peered beneath the sheets to where she was wearing a pair of boy shorts in bed. Lilly jerked her head up with panic written in her eyes while she looked quickly around her familiar bedroom, to check if anyone was watching her. _Oh Jesus,_ she mouthed to herself before gingerly easing her hand underneath the covers, to grip the top of her underwear and lift them up to see the truth.

Lilly's eyes shot open and she had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Within her all hell was breaking loose and she was struggling with an emotional turbulence that would have made her faint, if she were a weaker girl. Lilly leapt out of the bed with such force that it looked like someone had electrocuted her. She quickly ran toward her mirror and had to take further deep breaths with her eyes squeezed shut, whilst she drew together all of her courage to cautiously squint out at her transformed self.

"Oh my god." Lilly murmured when she caught sight of the changed reflection. She was far taller than she was the day before for a start and, working from the top down, Lilly could only gape at the physical modifications that her body had mysteriously undertaken overnight. Her hair was short, yet the same colour as when she was a girl and sticking up messily from a night of being slept on. Her eyebrows were noticeably more mannish, yet the mermaid had granted her the blessing of not giving her a mono-brow. Her nose was larger but still fitting with the shape of her face which was slightly longer and more defined as she now had carved cheek bones and a stronger jaw, whilst her new mouth was filled with two rows of straight, white teeth. Lilly's eyes were the only thing that remained a constant in this new body; sky-blue and currently startled.

As she gazed over her new form Lilly could only face her body with frazzled bewilderment. She had broad, masculine shoulders, but she was not too muscular, and Lilly was grateful to discover that she did not have the physique of a jock, in that she was slender with tanned skin. Her legs were also in a decent proportion to the rest of her body, hairier than she was used to, of course, yet nicely shaped. Lilly's lips were twitching into a smile as she contemplated viewing the areas, beneath her pyjamas, that she had not seen, but before she was given the chance she heard her mother's voice rising up the stairs toward her.

"Luke!" Heather Truscott called in Lilly's direction, causing her daughter to frown from confusion at the name she had used.

_Luke, is that my name? _Lilly pondered over in her head until her mother knocked on the door.

"Luke I've got breakfast on the table for you if you're up." Her mother mumbled quietly from the other side of the door.

Lilly looked about the room whilst her mind buzzed with unanswered questions, _Who am I?_ Lilly, or Luke, pouted in perplexity. All of her belongings as girl Lilly still remained in her bedroom; with the familiar Hannah Montana poster tacked to the wall and the same photographs of her friends, which included her feminine self, were relentlessly dotted all over the place. She sighed and shook her head as she remembered some of the mermaid's parting words: _…everything will fall into place._ Lilly just had to hope she was right. On this train of thought, Lilly quickly turned back to the door and answered, "I'll be down in a minute."

Lilly's mouth gaped open and she put her hand to her throat. The noise that her voice just made was nothing that had ever stemmed from Lilly's lips, and that scared her. She truly was a boy then. Lilly shrugged lightly, "I'm just going to get dressed." She mumbled in the direction of her mother who was still in the hallway, _probably sorting out the washing_ Lilly thought to herself.

"Okay then, see you downstairs." Her mother replied before moving on, sounding as if she was under the strain from both females' laundry for the week. Lilly smiled at the fact that at least her mother's routine had not altered, although Lilly had.

Lilly wandered over to her wardrobe where she only found Lilly's clothes and, as Luke, she certainly could not wear those. Her attention was drawn to an area of the room where she spotted a black suitcase out of the corner of her eye. Her brow creased from curiosity as she wandered over and lifted up the lid. The case was full of boy's clothes and Lilly was almost one hundred per cent certain that they belonged to Luke. She was soon sorting through them and found herself to be impressed with Luke's fashion choices. Lilly had to repress a giggle when she realised that _Luke_ did not necessarily exist, and soon dug out an appropriate t-shirt to wear with a pair of shorts. She also found a pile of underwear, each with a different day of the week upon it, and Lilly grinned when she realised that these would serve as reminders for every day that she would spend as her male self.

Lilly was wary during her undressing and soon she was stood naked before her full-length mirror and able to check herself out completely. Her chest did not have the large pectorals that she had hoped for, but at least she was not a skinny boy without any strength to her at all. She also could not resist looking at her bottom in the reflection, or tensing it to admire the dimples. It was much firmer than her own derriere and Lilly chuckled to herself when she squeezed one of the cheeks, before blushing in appreciation. This was all hers.

As much as she enjoyed noting the differences in terms of these aspects of her new self, Lilly could not help but flush when she forced herself to look properly on the most masculine part of her body. She had never had the chance to analyse one so closely before and touching it was a surreal experience, especially because she felt the softness and warmth from her fingertips on the very appendage between her legs itself. Lilly bit down on her lip nervously since she realised that this was actually a piece of her and she had no other option than to get used to it.

Lilly was more relaxed than uptight however, and she knew that she had to go with the flow because it was apparent that there was no conceivable way of escaping her wish. She hastily pulled on her underwear so that the added limb was removed from her vision as quickly as possible and soon she was topless before the mirror. The loss of Lilly's breasts disturbed her slightly for, although they had never been that big, she had been fond of them as an expression of her femininity. Now she was a seventeen year-old girl with a flat chest, but Lilly rolled her eyes because she was not. She was a seventeen year-old girl trapped inside a _boy's_ body, and boys did not have breasts, unless they were somewhat unfortunate.

x-x-x-x-x

"How's your breakfast Luke, is it alright?" Lilly's mother asked as she watched on nervously whilst the teenager piled bacon into their mouth.

Lilly swallowed and looked up to meet her mother's worried expression, "Erm, yeah, it's great thanks." She replied with a small smile.

Heather Truscott smiled back over the top of her morning coffee, "I'm glad. I wouldn't want your mother complaining that I hadn't fed you properly."

Lilly nodded, _So I'm definitely not her son then, _she thought to herself. Lilly shovelled a mouthful of scrambled egg into her mouth whilst she contemplated her next move, "I'm sure with Lily around you're used to feeding people up."

Heather smiled warmly while she took a sip, "Yes. Your cousin can certainly eat, and I'm quite surprised that I haven't entered her into the nationals for eating contests yet." She joked and Lilly had to laugh into her breakfast at her mother's audacity.

_Okay, so Luke's my cousin then._ Lilly pondered, _Wait a minute, I don't actually have a cousin called Luke… This must be a figment of the wish. _"I hope she's not giving anyone any grief." Lilly replied and looked up to watch her mother's reaction closely.

Heather looked nonplussed however and answered simply, "Me too."

Lilly shrugged lightly to herself before continuing to wolf down the final bites of her breakfast, "Mmm… that was great mu- I mean Heather." She said and smiled sheepishly.

"You're welcome Luke."

"Do you mind if I get down? I just need to, um, check for messages?"

"Sure go for it." Heather nodded her approval before setting about gathering up Lilly's empty plate and cutlery.

Lilly turned away from the table and soon returned to her bedroom whilst her mind continued to piece together the puzzle of where this character Luke fitted in to the wish. She finally came to the conclusion that Luke was an invented person seeing as she knew that he did not belong within her family. The mermaid must have fuddled her mother's mind so that she believed she had a nephew called Luke and, hopefully, once the week was over, this would all be a blissful dream for her.

A bleep from the table beside her bed quickly drew Lilly's attention back to reality and she hastened to pick up her own phone, which had remained with her in this altered life. She had received a message from Miley and Lilly's eyes widened as she suddenly realised that she was meant to be meeting her that morning.

_Hey Lilster, sorry hon but I can't meet u 2day – Hannah concert out of town & I forgot till late last night. Have a__ good one though & see ya tomoz, will swing by in the afternoon. Love ya! Smiles xox_

A subconscious, giddy grin had pleasantly settled itself across Lilly's fresh features whilst she read out the text. She could not lie and say that she was not disappointed that she would not be able to spend the day with Miley, but perhaps this was a good thing considering the circumstances. At least now Lilly, or Luke, had the chance to grow accustomed to their new body before they would run into Miley, who was apparently oblivious.

Lilly knew that she had to come up with some excuse about who she was before she saw Miley, yet that could wait since the waves were calling out to her and she longed to discover what her male body could handle on the surf. With a content sigh Lilly headed downstairs to find her surfboard so that she could hit the beach.

"Luke, where are you going?" Her mother called from the kitchen, where she was reading the morning paper.

Lilly stopped in her tracks and cringed as she realised that Luke had no idea where they were, "Erm, I thought I'd check out the beach if that's okay?" She asked and turned to face her mother with what she hoped was a winning smile.

"Well sure you can. But, do you know how to get there?" Heather asked concernedly.

"I'm sure I can find it, there'll be signs everywhere." Lilly replied breezily.

"Oh yes, of course." Heather responded vaguely, "Okay then, have a good time but don't get lost and don't stay out too late."

"I won't."

"And do be careful with Lilly's surfboard, I know she'll get all mad at me if anything should happen to it."

"Don't worry, I'll take extra good care of it." Lilly replied with a grin, since her heart was warming from her mother's anxiety of Lilly's prized belonging. "See you later." She waved at her mother before letting herself out of the door.

x-x-x-x-x

A couple of hours later and Lilly was standing in the Malibu sunshine, glistening from sea water and grinning from ear to ear as she regarded the swell before her which she had just successfully negotiated as Luke. She had adapted quickly to her new body, after learning the foibles of crashing spread legged, resulting in slapping her masculinity excruciatingly, against the water surface when she fell. Yet she could not deny that there was something to say about having a man's physique. The increased strength in both her legs and arms had seriously improved her balance and she had flowed more evenly with every turn whilst she skimmed the waves. Lilly reached up her hand to run her fingers through her cropped hair, which she was also appreciating in its hassle-free nature.

Lilly picked up her surfboard and made her way over to the stretch of beach where she picked up her t-shirt and pulled it over her bare chest. She had enjoyed the thrill of surfing half naked, and so had a small gaggle of girls who had stopped in their sunbathing to ogle shamelessly at Luke. Lilly had grinned when she noticed their gawping at her new form, but chose to ignore their blatant stares when she made her way over to Rico's shack; she only had eyes for one girl.

Lilly sat and ordered a soda before noticing a shaggy haired boy hanging with a group of guys. She smiled when she saw Oliver and Jackson tag-teaming in their boasts about recent dates, which she knew had resulted unsuccessfully. Oliver was backing away from the crowd, toward the food stand when he accidentally collided with Lilly who had turned away to sip her drink.

"Jees, sorry dude, didn't mean to back into you there." Oliver apologised after their impact.

"Oh don't worry about it Oliver." Lilly replied casually before suddenly realising that she was not meant to know who he was.

The same thought process seemed to have flickered across Oliver's mind because his chocolate eyes grew smaller when he squinted at Lilly, "Do I know you?" He asked quietly as he coolly examined Lilly's new features and his voice was laced with puzzlement.

"No, you don't know me." Lilly replied hastily, "But you know my cousin Lilly Truscott, I think? My name's Luke." She finished and, on remembering her manners, stretched out a hand for Oliver to shake.

Oliver's expression grew lighter, "Lilly's cousin? Okay that's cool. Well I'm Oliver Oken, but you seem to already know that." He grinned. "So, where's Lilly and, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here and how come I haven't heard about you before?"

Lilly chuckled nervously whilst secretly hoping that Oliver would not recognise her for who she was, although that was surely impossible, especially because the boy was a doughnut-brain. She cleared her throat as Luke and tried to answer Oliver's pressing questions, "Well Lilly is currently in… Canada." Oliver quirked an eyebrow and Luke nodded, "Yup, Canada. That's where I live after all. We're distant cousins. Just doing a kind of family exchange thing where I can see how she lives, as a way of bringing our families together. There was a huge argument a few years ago, long story, about a bolognaise recipe. Very messy fight, stains you can never get out too…" Lilly laughed nervously whilst Oliver's expression remained blank, "Anyway, so that's why I'm here. But I don't know why you haven't heard about me before; I guess Lilly just never mentioned me." Lilly shrugged in what she imagined was a manly manner before breaking eye contact with Oliver to look wildly around their surroundings.

Oliver watched Lilly closely for a few moments further before shrugging himself, "Fair enough. Strange that Lilly never mentioned anything about a family kid swap though."

"Well, you know what Lilly's like…" Lilly began conspiratorially.

"Yup, a complete bubble brain if you ask me." Oliver replied matter-of-factly and Lilly scowled whilst his concentration briefly drifted over a nearby female. He turned back to face Lilly with a friendly grin, "Anyway, since you don't have anyone else to show you around, I'm going to take you under my wing. Just trust old Oliver, he won't lead you astray."

"Erm cool, thanks man." Lilly said, yet she could not avoid the feeling of mild anxiety that crept across her when Oliver led her over to the group of boys from school. She had hung out with them on plenty of previous occasions but, although they never had really considered her as feminine, there was always that useful reminder that she was still a girl. Now she was in the guise of a boy and she could not help dreading the types of conversations she would unfortunately be privy to.

"Hey guys, this is Luke, Truscott's cousin." Oliver introduced her to the guys.

The selection of boys from school nodded greetings and murmured "Hey" in her direction, but that was the extent of her welcome to the male assembly.

"Let's get back to the lists." A random boy from the crowd suddenly demanded and this had the group's attention clicked straight back into focus.

"Alright then." Jackson began and rubbed his hands together, "So, where were we?"

"Lilly Truscott." Another boy suddenly called and Lilly swallowed fretfully. _What's going on?_ She thought to herself.

"She is totally hot." One of the boys cut in, "I'd put her at an eight."

"Just eight?" Another guy interjected, "I'd give her a nine."

"What about you Oken?" Jackson asked Oliver.

Oliver was laughing as he waved his arms in front of himself and shook his head, "No way man. Lilly is my best friend, I can't look at her in that way, she's like my sister. Ew." Lilly found herself smiling at Oliver's refreshing honesty, as well as from relief, because she would never be able to look at him again if he rated her. Oliver glanced over to Luke quickly and muttered, "Sorry man, I know she's your cousin." Lilly just grinned in response and shrugged her shoulders.

"Speaking of sisters…" A tall boy with brown hair made his voice heard, "What about Stuart's own little sister Miley?"

A cry of approval went up among all of them men apart from Jackson, Oliver and Lilly who all seemed to wear the same expression of surprise.

"Man, Miley Stuart is _hot_."

"Totally."

"Like the other day, when she was wearing that short skirt…?"

Lilly found her blood begin to boil at the sound of these adolescent males objectifying _her_ Miley. She knew that if the wolf-whistling and hounding of her adored brunette did not stop soon, then she would be putting her new body to some serious use and making the most of her freshly discovered strength.

She did not have to wait long for their passions to be quelled, however, when Jackson stepped in and shouted above the rest, "Hey! That's my little sister you're talking about so knock it off!"

Lilly nodded appreciatively and found her cheeks flush when Oliver joined Jackson in his position of defending Miley, "Yeah come on guys. Enough's enough already."

The boys around them began to grumble, yet the black mood which settled over them was lifted as quickly as it had fallen when the option of beach soccer was put into the frame. Lilly was startled when a mass cheer went up and the majority of the guys ran toward the ocean, kicking the ball between them on their way. _Wow, guys really can be that simple._ She silently mused to herself, until Oliver's hand on her shoulder brought her focus back to reality.

"So, you wanna play?" He asked.

"Sure." Lilly replied and she grinned at the prospect of being able to participate with the boys. Lilly Truscott had skills but Luke was really going to up the anti.

Oliver chuckled, "Cool, you're just like Lilly, only a dude so you better promise to take it easy on me." He stated and Lilly laughed, remembering that Oliver was never very good at sport.

"Sure thing dude. Let's go!" Lilly found herself cheering as she and Oliver careered down the beach after the rest of the boys.

A whole day had not yet passed, but Lilly was already warming to her new self. She was experiencing a fresh liberty that being a girl restrained her from. In the space of a morning she had walked around topless, hung out with the guys and been chased after by girls. All she had to do now was win the heart of Miley Stuart; perhaps life really was that easy.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey readers, sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I was set to write it but then essays popped up and other things in my life radically changed - for the good though :) Also I kind of lost the motivation for this story for a little while, but I'm pushing on now. I'm sorry about the shortness, it's not as long as the others and I'm not sure if it's any good. I guess it's just another set up for some later chapters. I hope you all enjoy though and thanks for the fantastic reviews so far, what would I do without your support?**

**As usual I own nothing of Hannah Montana except for a few prized belongings, including a new cup which I covet dearly. Haha!  
**

'**If I Were A Boy' – Chapter 4**

Sunday morning came and Lilly awoke later than she had planned to. She had almost forgotten what had befallen her; that is until she rolled over in bed and realised that she was most definitely still trapped in a boy's body. Lilly's face crinkled up into a grimace as she sat up cautiously in bed and looked down at the uncomfortable situation that was going on between her legs.

"There's nothing glorious about _that_ in the morning." She muttered to herself and shuddered for emphasis.

Lilly clambered out of her bed somewhat more ungracefully than normal, even for her, before heading to the bathroom next door. Using the toilet had become a nerve-wracking experience for the girl and she was certain that little boys were given lessons by their fathers from a young age on how not to make a mess. However, with her current situation, she would have to wait until things died down before she may relieve herself. "This didn't happen yesterday." Lilly whined to herself and cast her eyes about the room to find a means to deflate her issue. She rolled her eyes as her gaze finally landed upon the shower. Lilly slipped off the underpants that she had worn to bed and stepped into the cubicle, inching the door slowly shut behind her to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. Taking deep breaths, the girl eventually managed to pluck up the courage to put her hand on the control which would activate the water. She looked up at the shower-head above her, blinked, and then pulled the lever.

An uncharacteristically feminine squeal for her new mannish exterior filled the space around her when icy water purged her skin, almost instantly taking away her problem. Lilly spluttered as she tuned the dial to a hotter setting and sighed in relief as warmth spread throughout her shocked system. She hastened to wash herself, which primarily took less time than usual since her hair was a lot shorter, until she realised that she was using Lilly's products and now Luke smelled like strawberries and tropical flowers.

Lilly was still grumbling to herself as she dried herself off and later when she applied Luke's deodorant to her body. She sprayed on more than her usual allowance in a rash attempt to overcome the floral scent which had draped her skin. So far this morning Lilly was struggling in keeping up appearances, but this would have to be overcome later on in the day.

She stomped down the stairs to be greeted by her mother at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and tapping away on her laptop, "Good morning Luke, everything alright?" Heather Truscott asked casually.

Lilly stopped and smiled sheepishly at her, "Yeah everything's fine thanks."

Her mother smiled, "It's just I head a…scream… from the bathroom this morning?"

Lilly felt her cheeks become darker and she laughed awkwardly whilst she scrambled in the fridge on the search for milk to have with her cereal, "A scream? Oh, yeah, that was me. I err saw a spider." Lilly shut the door and cringed mildly, "A _big_ spider. In fact it was huge, massive, and very hairy. I got rid of it though, chucked it out the window. No more spider." She chuckled dryly whilst she pulled up a chair and began to shovel mouthfuls of breakfast in, avoiding her mother's gaze.

"I see." Heather replied quietly before returning her attention to the computer screen. Lilly finished the rest of her late meal and rinsed the bowl out while her mother slurped from her cup and hummed pleasantly to herself. Just as Lilly was brushing her hands off on her pants, Heather looked up to speak to her once more, "So, what's the plan for today then?"

Lilly quirked her head around to give Heather her full attention, "Well I was gonna hit the skate-park until this afternoon and then I guess I'll come back and hang out here, watch a bit of TV?"

"Sounds good to me." Heather replied with a smile. "Have you met many people in the area?"

"Oh yeah, I met Lilly's friend Oliver. We played soccer on the beach yesterday afternoon."

Heather seemed content with her answer and Lilly nodded briefly at her before delving into the cupboard under the stairs for her skateboard and safety pads. "Have you met Miley yet?" Her mother called out to her suddenly and Lilly felt her body involuntarily stiffen.

"Miley?" She repeated her best friend's name and gulped, "I don't think so. Who is that?" Lilly's response was somewhat muffled since she kept her face hidden within the cupboard, under the pretext of still searching for her belongings.

"Miley is Lilly's best friend. Oh, of course you wouldn't have seen her yet." Heather remembered, "She's out of town until tonight."

"Oh right." Lilly muttered back, giving the appearance of a relaxed reply when really her heart had quickened and excitement at seeing her favourite brunette was gently unsettling her. "Right, I'm going to head off. I'm meeting Oliver in about ten minutes. See you later though." She waved to her mother before heading out of the front door.

Lilly closed the door carefully behind her and sighed in relief as she heard it click shut. She had tried to let her mind stray from the fact that Miley would soon be returning to her life, but it had always been lurking in the background of her thoughts and now it had come surging forward to taunt her. Soon Luke and Miley would come face to face, the catalyst and defining point of her wish. Lilly shook her head as she resigned herself to enjoy the day which was still sprawled out ahead of her and decided that what was to happen when Luke met Miley, was to be left up to fate.

x-x-x-x-x

It had been a very hot day and Lilly was exhausted, yet satisfied, as she slipped down the half-pipe for the final time that day. Everything sport-related seemed so much easier whilst she was in the guise of this stronger boy's body and she had quickly adapted to the change. Oliver was standing to one side and watching her in awe as Luke executed some moves which Lilly had been attempting for months. Finally she came to a stop in front of her best friend, sweating slightly and panting, but with a grin that would not be dissolved for a good while.

"Woah, you are really good man." Oliver announced his approval and clapped Lilly on the back. "I mean, you just did the same moves which I swear I've seen Lilly try to hit for a long while."

"Thanks Oliver." Lilly replied as the pair made their way toward the beach for some well-deserved drinks.

They were soon sat in the sunshine, slurping at cold beverages which Jackson had quickly provided them with. Lilly was enjoying the sun on her arms and people-watching a couple who were lightly squabbling at a nearby table.

"So, Luke," Jackson's voice broke through her thoughts and brought her attention back to the boys she was sitting with, "how long are you here for?"

"Oh just a week." Lilly replied with a small smile.

Jackson was wiping down the counter in front of them and Oliver was chewing his straw whilst eyeing up a couple of cute girls from their school on towels only a few feet away.

"One week." Jackson repeated, "Well, my sister would like to meet you I'm sure."

"Your sister, Miley right?" Lilly inquired, although there was a twinkle in her eye which she could not suppress, but Jackson failed to notice since he was busy serving a customer some water.

"Yeah that's her. She'll show you the ropes at school and take you under her wing I'm sure." Jackson answered and soon turned his attention back to Lilly, "I'm sure you wouldn't be able to turn down being shown the school by Miley."

"Well err no. That would be nice." Lilly replied slowly, whilst watching Jackson closely and trying to decipher whether he was implying anything. He did not seem to be and he only smiled pleasantly at Lilly before making eyes at a girl who had been staring at him for some time now. "Erm, I'd better get going then." Lilly quickly announced to both boys who unhurriedly diverted their eyes away from the girls they had been mentally undressing. "I'll see you tomorrow, at school Oliver?"

"Yup. See ya then Luke." Oliver replied and completed a handshake which they had devised together earlier that afternoon. Lilly waved at Jackson who nodded in return before turning to chat to the girl who had summoned up the courage to approach the bar.

She was smiling to herself all the way home and let herself in without needing to fumble for a key, since the door was unlocked and her mother was happily planted on the couch. Heather looked as if she wanted to say something to her, but Lilly simply waved a greeting and sprang toward the stairs. She bounded up them with renewed energy and jogged to her bedroom.

"Lilly!" A shrill voice greeted her and Lilly's eyes befell luscious brown curls which bounced on a head that turned to welcome her. Lilly was immediately drawn to a pair of warm, blue eyes that sparkled at the prospect of seeing their best friend. Miley Stuart's eyes quickly widened as she suddenly realised that the person who had entered the bedroom was, in fact, not actually Lilly Truscott. Lilly found that she could not speak temporarily; she was stunned into silence by the girl who had been awaiting her on the bed. "Erm hello." Miley broke the quiet and her cheeks flushed pink, "You're not Lilly." She stated, yet refused to break the eye-contact between them.

Lilly was more awkward in their meeting, however, and cast her gaze to the floor where she became momentarily intrigued by her sneakers. Eventually she looked up and had to suppress a gasp when she was met with a piercing stare as Miley scrutinised who she was. Lilly was almost certain, for a few long seconds, that her best friend had deduced what was actually going on and she chewed her bottom lip fretfully since Miley was not easing up in her mental analysis. "My name's Luke." Lilly finally stated and shifted herself forward with an extended hand.

"Miley, Miley Stuart." Miley replied calmly as she shook Lilly's proffered gesture. "Who are you?" She asked quietly and Lilly found herself chuckling nervously whilst her mind sought the appropriate answer.

"I'm Luke, Lilly's cousin. I've come to stay for a week whilst Lilly's gone to be with my family."

Miley raised an eyebrow, "That's weird, Lilly didn't mention any of this to me."

"Oh, I wouldn't take that personally," Lilly interjected quickly, sensing Miley's growing tribulations, "you know Lilly, she probably forgot herself."

"Yeah, I guess so." Miley replied, yet she did not seem convinced, "So where exactly is Lilly right now?"

"Canada." Lilly replied quickly and nodded her head for emphasis, "Yep, Canada, that is where I'm from after all." She knew that she was babbling, but this did not deter her from continuing her stream of apparently unstoppable speech, "So, have you had a good weekend Miley? Lilly's mum told me you were out of town. How did that go?"

Miley merely blinked slowly and Lilly knew that the internal examination of her had not relented. This thought made her feel slightly uncomfortable, as if she were presenting in front of a large audience, Miley had brought up some form of stage fright within Lilly and the blonde was acting to the best of her abilities. "Out of town?" Miley repeated slowly, "Uh, yeah, it was good thanks. I've had a good weekend. So, when did you get here Luke?"

"Only yesterday but I'll be here all week." Lilly answered and was grateful that she was finally able to compose herself.

Miley nodded her head before shifting her seating position on the bed. She only uncrossed her legs one way to fold them over each other differently, yet Lilly felt something stir uncomfortably in her pants when she caught sight of Miley's peachy thighs. She had to cast her eyes someplace other than Miley because the sight of her perched on the edge of her bed with exposed legs and a low-cut top was more than Lilly could bear.

"Are you coming to school?" Miley asked another question.

Lilly nodded, "Yeah I think so. Oliver promised that he'd show me the ropes."

"So you've met Oliver already?" Miley quickly cut in.

"Err yeah. We met at the beach yesterday, and I met your brother Jackson."

"Oh really?" Miley responded and quirked an eyebrow, "Well, the boy did not tell me he had met you." Lilly just shrugged, Miley did not seem to require an answer to that question anyway. The brunette's eyes flashed up again to meet Luke's once more, "Do you want me to show you around the school tomorrow?" Her tone was softer now and Lilly was pleased to know that she had relinquished in her inspection, at least for a little while.

"Yeah, I'd really like that." She answered with a smile, gladly noticing that the corners of Miley's mouth twitched also. Miley was soon smiling brightly with her and Lilly felt her heart melt as warmth flowed throughout her body and butterflies fluttered through her chest and stomach. _So boys get butterflies too, huh?_ She thought to herself.

"Alright then. How about I pick you up and take you to school tomorrow morning? I'll give you the full first class treatment I give your cousin." Miley said with a brilliant grin.

"Well, now that's southern hospitality for you." Lilly replied and was happy to see Miley's cheeks darken and her eyes glow out of reaction. _Woah, did I just flirt with Miley Stuart? _Lilly pondered, but before she had too long to contemplate Miley was up and walking toward the door.

"See you in the morning Luke, and don't be late." She finished before casually wandering out of Lilly's bedroom.

Lilly could not stop the smile which spread across her features as she heard Miley's light footsteps begin their descent down the stairs. A thought came to her mind in a flash and she hastened out of the door. Miley was just off the bottom step when Lilly hopped onto the balcony, smoothly careered downwards and sprang off the end in time to open the door for the brunette.

"See you tomorrow Miley." Lilly grinned at her as she held the door open for her best friend. Miley was slow in masking the amusement on her face and she smiled up at the apparent gentleman before her, who was grinning warmly and politely seeing her out. She left without another word, but it was more than enough for Lilly.

The young blonde giggled to herself as she carefully closed the door behind her best friend's retreating figure. She rubbed her hands together excitedly; barely able to wait the long hours which now separated them.

_Plan Miley likey Lukey is in motion_.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ok so first of all, muchos apologies for the delay to this story. I think that, due to the support and interest in it, I kinda lost heart because I was a little overwhelmed at how many people actually subscribed and I began to worry that I wouldn't be good enough. I mean, it's an interesting concept which hasn't been tackled much before, therefore I kind of expected myself to have to write something amazing. Which I can't actually do. So, after pulling myself out of my slump and continuing with my preplanned story, instead of fretting and going mad at trying to improve the plot, I've finally finished this chapter which has been lurking for months. I hope you all enjoy :)**

**I own none of the rights to Hannah Montana or Beyonce's song.**

**ps... thanks Lucas.**

**-  
**

'**If I Were A Boy' – Chapter 5**

…_I'm not at home in my own home, and I've tried and tried to say what's on my mind__…_

"Ugh." Lilly grunted as her hand scrabbled forth from its previous and more content position of underneath her bed covers. "Stupid radio, always waking me up in the mornings…" She grumbled whilst she sought the off-switch. The slap of her palm on a button was enough to silence the disruptor of her sleep and Lilly's eyes blinked slowly open. She rolled over in bed and inwardly cursed the increasingly familiar discomfort, "Not again." Lilly muttered, since the same situation was taking place below her waist as had done the previous morning. "Okay… I'm thinking of puppies and grandma." Lilly squeezed her eyes tightly shut once more, remembering the wise words she had once heard uttered from a favoured television program.

After a few short minutes of gathering her clothes for the day Lilly was correctly deflated once again and she could breathe a sigh of relief. Glancing over at the clock next to her bed informed her that, as much as she would like to, Lilly had no time whatsoever to shower if she did not wish to enrage her punctuality obsessed best friend. Luke had to be one step ahead of Miley and Lilly's knowledge of the brunette's pet hates definitely gave her an advantage. Lilly quickly shrugged off her cares in the time that it took her to pull a fresh shirt over her head, at least this morning she could fit in a decent breakfast. Heather Truscott greeted Lilly with wide eyes as her supposed guest joined her at the table.

"What's up?" Lilly asked her mother when she first noticed the expression of mild bemusement that was etched across the woman's face.

"Oh nothing." Her mother replied shiftily before resuming her attention to her bran flakes, "It's just strange to see a teenager sitting at the breakfast table with me on a weekday morning."

Lilly grinned at her mother's reply whilst she helped herself to the sugar-coated rice puffs, "Does Lilly never make it down in time then?" She questioned casually as she poured milk into the bowl.

Her mother shook her head and took a sip from her coffee mug, "Nope. She's pretty hopeless in the mornings. Her alarm clock goes out the window and the only sound she really responds to is the incessant honking of Miley's car horn. That girl can get quite vocal is she's left waiting…" Heather trailed off, since her eyes flickered over an interesting article in the morning's paper, which was spread out before her.

Lilly grinned secretly and crunched happily on her cereal, Miley was not about to be kept waiting _this _morning. The rest of the meal passed by in silence as the pair at the table did not find any words to say to one another. The quiet was comfortable with only the sounds of the clinking of spoons in bowls and the rustle of the paper to disturb them, until Lilly's mother finally rose and took her leave with a warm smile.

"Have a good day at school today Luke. Miley and Oliver will take care of you I'm sure and I'll see you when I get in from work this evening."

"Sure thing Heather." Lilly said and returned her mother's smile.

Heather Truscott nodded in her direction and took her leave from the kitchen. Lilly listened to her mother's footsteps retreating out of the front door before she let her cheerful expression fade. She missed her mother's closeness and affection, which she was obviously not going to receive whilst she was in her masculine disguise. Lilly knew that she would have to bear this however, and chose not to dwell on what she was only temporarily missing for too long. Time would soon be growing shorter for her to achieve, well, whatever it was she was hoping to accomplish anyway. It was best to take the lows with the possible highpoints and get on with life. Thus, with this renewed sense of vigour, Lilly finished the last few mouthfuls of her breakfast and managed to pack up a bag with Lilly's homework and books in just enough time before the brunette pulled up outside her house.

Lilly opened the front door to be greeted by Miley who was once again perfectly parked at the end of her drive, with long brown curls of hair flowing loose and brushed back by the light breeze. Her sunglasses were positioned informally atop her head, allowing her blue eyes license to wander over to where the blonde was standing and taking in the view.

"Mornin'." Miley called out and the deep, huskiness of her voice struck a chord within Lilly, which she was certain would continue to resonate until lunch time at least.

"Good morning yourself." Lilly answered as she began to wander slowly down the drive in her best friend's direction.

While she approached the car, Lilly could not help but allow her eyes to drift over the brunette, who had turned her attention away to lean across and alter the volume of her stereo. Miley Stuart was wearing a very pretty, powder-blue sundress, which was dotted with white daisies. It was the exact same dress she had bought from the mall only a week before, when Lilly had served as prime companion on one of Miley's famous mall crawl conquests. Lilly had to suppress a knowing smile at the fluttering of attraction that seeing Miley for the second time ever in the dress brought streaming through her system. She opened the passenger door and took her place next to Miley, who popped down her sunglasses and the couple shared a smile before Miley turned the key in the ignition and drove away.

"Nice dress." Lilly complimented, and was pleased with the subtle twitch, from the corners of Miley's mouth, which she received in response.

"Thanks. Lilly helped me pick it out in the mall last week, she really liked it too." Miley replied, whilst keeping her eyes on the road. "I was actually going to buy it for her seeing as she liked it so much, but she would never let me."

Lilly smiled quietly to herself, "That's a pretty nice thing to do for her. You guys must be really close."

Miley smiled mysteriously, "Oh we are. In case you hadn't noticed…" She looked from side to side briefly and then resumed her focus on the road, "…We're _best friends_." Miley completed her sentence with a stage whisper and Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Well, I already knew that." She answered dryly and Miley merely chuckled to herself.

"I figured as much." She stated with a sigh. The following minutes passed by in an amicable silence where Lilly pretended to take in the view, as if she did not already see it everyday, and Miley continued their pleasant journey to school. "Here we are." Miley finally stated the obvious, since they drew up outside the high school, and broke their silence.

"Is this your school?" Lilly asked and looked around the car park with an exaggerated interest which Miley did not notice.

"No, it's the local mental asylum. I'm dropping you off for the day." Miley replied sarcastically and pulled the car into a space. "Well come on then, I'll show you around."

Lilly was soon striding after Miley's fast pace and up the steps into the hallway where she was directed to Lilly's locker by her best friend. Miley told Lilly the combination and Lilly willingly continued her pretence with a nod of understanding, whilst surreptitiously scoping the hallway and noticing the heightened attention their fellow students were giving her.

"Morning Miley. Hey, how are you doing there Luke?" Oliver Oken emerged from the streaming crowds of their peers and sauntered up to the pair.

"Morning Oliver." Miley greeted him simply as she sorted through which books she would need for the day whilst Lilly greeted him with their newly devised handshake. Miley was watching out of the corner of her eye, however, and could not resist raising an eyebrow, "What is that?"

Oliver reproached her good naturedly, "This? Well, this is mine and Luke's special handshake Miley. Are you jealous?"

Miley barked out a short laugh, "Yes Oliver. I'm very jealous of your wicked cool guy handshake, oh yeah."

Lilly grinned and began to filter slowly through which books she would need for the day, with one eye fixed on her timetable to give the impression that she had no idea what she was doing. She kept the other trained on Miley's outstretched arms as she reached up to the top shelf of her locker, whilst gradually gliding down to graze the curve of her slightly pronounced collar bone, up over her graceful neck and admiringly into her flawless hair once more. Lilly was so distracted that she did not notice that three books would not all fit into one hand and, with a resounding crash that made Miley jump, they tumbled from her grip to the floor.

"Sorry." Lilly muttered and hastily scrambled to gather them up once more. She was aware of Miley watching her evenly from above, clocking up a small victory of 'coolness' in her mind and bringing hot colour to Lilly's cheeks. _Real smooth Truscott_, Lilly scolded herself as she stuffed the texts into her bag. When she eventually stood up again, she was faced with Miley's amused expression, but also the final book that she would need for the morning which her favourite brunette was in the process of handing to her.

"You're gonna need this one too. Mr Corelli will get short with you if you forget your anthology on seasonal poets." Miley stated as she pushed the book into Lilly's awaiting hand.

"Erm, thanks." Lilly murmured quietly and Miley grinned broadly.

"It's alright, I guess you're just showing me where the family resemblance comes from. Lilly's not titled 'dork' for nothing." Miley quipped.

Lilly smiled as she shut her locker, "Well, thank you. I guess I'll just have to wait and see where both of your friendship's foundation stems from. But, from what I've heard, you're not known as 'dorkier' for nothing." She finished and laughed as Miley blinked and her mouth pouted slightly open at the retort.

"Where did you hear that from?" She asked and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she began to lead them toward their first class.

"Oh, just around." Lilly stated simply, knowing that it would drive Miley slowly wild if she was evasive in her answering. She was enjoying this mild, flirting thing that she had going on with her best friend, yet could not help but wonder how to turn it up a notch. There would be time for that later, however, as the two were already running the risk of being late for class.

x-x-x-x-x

The cafeteria seemed to be more crowded than normal on that Monday morning, yet Lilly quickly came to realise that it was not, it was just that she was attracting more notice than usual. The blonde secretly appraised the fact that she had never had to suffer the unwanted attention of the 'new-kid' at school because, quite frankly, being Luke was troublesome. Fellow males would eye her up, as if she were a piece of meat that needed to be weighed and measured before they could take a sample of her. Girls promptly turned scarlet-cheeked faces away and resumed to poking at their meals or giggling with their friends. The only normality in the room seemed to stem from Oliver who was being usual in his girl stalking and friendly manner of addressing everyone with his easy nature. Lilly swallowed nervously and turned her attention to the floor – this really was too much.

The threesome finally found a table at the corner of the room and Lilly was at last able to settle into something which she actually enjoyed: food. Miley, upon sighting no other choice for conversation, began chattering to Oliver about shoes, but quickly lost his patience and was forced to focus on her meal in a huffy silence. The clicking of heels on the polished floor brought Lilly's attention to two girls who had quickly spotted her and flitted over to their table. From the corner of her eye, however, she was quick to realise that she was not the only one who had noticed their presence since Miley was also watching their approach. Lilly smiled inwardly as she noticed Miley's stance change from relaxed into territorial, her shoulders seized up and her eyes became distinctly narrowed, "Amber and Ashley." She hissed under her breath.

"Oh hi." Amber suddenly blurted, with all of her attention focused in on Lilly who shifted in her seat uncomfortably, "Who are you?" Her smile was bright, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth.

Lilly opened her mouth to reply, but before she could her best friend cut across her, "This is Luke, he's Lilly's cousin and he's sitting with us today for lunch." Miley stated coldly.

Amber's head twitched round to face the brunette and regarded her as if she was an irksome fly that she could not wait to swat, "Whatever Stewart. Doesn't Luke here have any say for himself?" Amber turned to bat her eyelashes at Lilly whose cheeks were straining with her suppression of a smile.

"I'm doing just fine here thank you." Lilly replied gently, letting Amber down far more kindly than she would have normally bothered with.

"Really? Because, you know, there's plenty of room at our table, and that's far away from these _losers_." Ashley joined her friend in chiding Miley and Oliver.

"Thanks again, but seriously girls, I'm very happy here with Miley and Oliver." Lilly replied and, on seeing her former school rivals' stubbornness to move, waved them away. Amber flounced off at once whilst Ashley kept her eyes trained on Lilly for a moment longer, since her thought process was slower than the other girl's.

"Come on Ashley." Amber barked and Ashley jerked into life, spun around and instantly crashed into another student, before falling to the floor. The cafeteria erupted into jeering laughter and catcalls and the trio at the table nearby could not help but chuckle along with them.

"And they call you guys dorks?" Lilly said to Miley and Oliver who grinned back.

x-x-x-x-x

Lilly was still laughing to herself about lunch that very evening when she had drawn back the covers on her bed and was settling down for the night. It had been a good day, she quietly reflected from her comfortable position on her back. Once she had got past the initial stares from her school-friends and the angry looks that Amber and Ashley threw in her direction, she had been able to enjoy her first school day in her guise as a boy. From her position at her desk she had been able to laugh with Miley and, for once, risk watching her as closely as she dreamed. If people believed that she was interested in the brunette then it truly did not matter. Lilly was a boy and, even if just for a few days, she could get with who she wanted whilst not being confronted for it.

_Beep._

Lilly's thought process came to a jolting halt as the noise from her bedside table disturbed her imaginings. The screen of her cell phone was lit up with the promise of a new text, which was strange because it was _Lilly's _phone and she was not meant to exist during this week. Lilly frowned and reached over to pick up her phone and read the screen; _one new message – Miley_.

_So, you're in Canada?! And you didn't think that you should tell me about this? __I guess I'll be seeing you in about a week then? I don't even know for sure. Your cousin told me. He seems nice btw, you never mentioned him before though. Anyway, it's getting late. Maybe call ya tomorrow? I don't know. I might forget. Miley._

The message brought a painful twist to her new reality and shuffled up the previously sedate mood of her evening. Lilly sighed and chewed her lip, Miley was obviously annoyed at her for not telling her that she would be going away, but how could she have told her? Lilly had not known herself that she would actually be disappearing until after the mermaid granted her crazy wish. _Mermaid_… Now, who would ever believe that? Lilly heaved yet another and even greater sigh before choosing her words carefully for her reply.

_Hey Miles, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about this. Mum told me about it months ago and I guess it didn't come up again until I actually went. I know I should have texted you but things were hectic cos I hadn't packed. Anyway, Canada is cold and I miss the beach!! Family are pretty crazy but seem nice, will tell you more when I get back. Signal here is pants. Am on top of a mountain practically so won't be able to answer phonecalls. I miss you, and I'm really sorry. Lots of love, xox _

Lilly placed her phone carefully back on the stand beside her. She lay awake for another hour, yet Miley did not reply to her message and Lilly knew that she would not for a little while yet. She had no doubt that she would hear from her brunette again before her week as Luke was up, but she knew that the other girl would keep her hanging for a little while first – to wrack up the guilt Miley thought the other girl did not possess. That was only Miley though; highly strung and never aware that Lilly would get upset if she thought that she had upset her best friend. Miley had always believed that Lilly was too carefree to notice when she was annoyed, but this could not be further than the truth. Lilly felt the flux of Miley's emotions towards her like the waves beneath her surfboard and was always ready to roll with them, or suffer the consequences. So the blonde finally shifted her head deeper into her pillow, settled her covers more comfortably around her and closed her eyes, ready for what the next day would bring.


End file.
